A year makes all the difference. In March 2011, the FDA sent Amyvid (florbetapir) back to its manufacturer, Avid Radiopharmaceuticals Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Co. Inc., of Indianapolis, to develop a reader training program for interpretation of scans made with Amyvid. Read More
In another sign that the venture financing market may be stirring from its long recession nap, HIG Capital LLC closed a new life sciences fund, HIG BioVentures II LLP, with commitments of $268 million, exceeding its $250 million target. Read More
In findings that run directly counter to prevailing wisdom, researchers have found that proinflammatory responses may be protective against the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is the leading cause of blindness in the developed world. Read More
Big pharma is refusing to go quietly into the night as its biggest blockbusters fall off the patent cliff, endangering more than half of some drugmakers' brand portfolios. Read More
• Derma Sciences Inc., of Princeton, N.J., raised about $19.9 million in a registered direct offering of 2. 125 million shares of common stock priced at $9.25 apiece. Read More
• Islet Sciences Inc., of New York, said subsidiary DiaKine Therapeutics Inc. received a $2.1 million in grant funding, comprising about $1.83 million from the National Institutes of Health and $250,000 from the Iacocca Foundation to support its work in diabetes. Read More
• RedHill Biopharma Ltd., of Tel Aviv, Israel, said initial analysis of a pharmacokinetic study comparing its version of odansetron with Zofran (odansetron, GlaxoSmithKline plc) showed the trial met its objective of establishing bioequivalence. Assuming the final clinical study report supports the preliminary findings, RedHill said it will consider filing for U.S. marketing approval. Read More
• Illumina Inc., of San Diego, urged stockholders to reject acquisition efforts by Basel, Switzerland-based Roche AG, and to vote for Illumina's slate of director nominees at the 2012 annual stockholders' meeting April 18. It called Roche's offer a "hostile bid to buy Illumina at a low-ball price." Roche has presented its own list of director nominees for election to Illumina's board. Read More
